Friday, May 27, 2011

As most of my readers know, I am currently 20 weeks pregnant with our fifth blessing. Halfway there!!

He will be our third son and we have decided to name hin Gabriel Matthew. Gabriel means champion of God. Gabriel is one of the two angels mentioned in the Bible. He is the angel that interpreted Daniel's visions :

16And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. 17So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.

18Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. 19And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.

20The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

21And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

23And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

24And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

25And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

26And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.

Gabriel is also mentioned in Daniel 9:20-27:

20And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; 21Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 22And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 23At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

24Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

We also read about Gabriel in the New Testament where he foretells the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1:11-20:

11And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

18And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

The Bible goes on to tell us that Gabriel foretells the birth of Jesus in Luke 1:26-38:

26And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Matthew means Gift of God.

He is blessed enough to have a whole book in the Bible with his name so I consider that pretty cool!

Gabriel Matthew truly is a gift from God especially since there was a 50% miscarriage rates with subchorionic hematoma that I had plus the amniotic sac didn't fuse until later in my pregnancy. God was watching over this babe and saw to it that he grew into a healthy baby with no known defects.

I would have added ultrasound photos BUT the upload thingy here on Blogspot keeps rejecting my photos.

I 'll have dear hubby fix this for me since I am so NOT a computer savvy.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

I recently went online looking to read other blogs from ladies with large families. I found this site (http://ladyofvirtue.blogspot.com) and saw her recipe collection. I decided that I had to make her breakfast bar recipe. However, her recipe just didn't appeal to my taste that much, so I tweaked it. Below is the link to the original recipe:

http://ladyofvirtue.blogspot.com/2010/02/breakfast-recipe.html

Now don't get me wrong, her recipe looks great. Now below is my revamp of the recipe

Not so Nutritious but still Delicious Breakfast Bars (my version)

1 1/2 cups butter

3 cups brown sugar

Cream together. Add:

5 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Mix.

Add:

3 cups oats

2 cups whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons baking powder

2 cups raw wheat germ

1 1/2 cup coconut

2 cups hershey special dark chocolate chips

2 cups dried cranberries (craisins)

Grease two 9 x 13" baking pans, fill each with half of mixture. Bake at 350*F until golden brown about 30 minutes or until a knife comes clean when inserted.
Cut into bars and serve with a glass of cold milk.

We make these the night before--they are more nutritious than granola (they contain eggs and not so much oil or sugar).
These bars also freeze beautifully. I have a batch in my deep freeze for quick breakfasts or on the go snacking.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Fellow blogger, Miss June at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home is hosting a great giveaway on her blog. She is graciously giving one lucky winner a gift certificate to the Victorian Rose Soap Company. They have the most adorable soaps that are shaped like cars, ponies etc.
To enter just visit her blog at
http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/2011/05/victorian-rose-soap-company-giveaway.html
Please put that you were sent there by me. Thanks everyone. ☺